Oaths and Vows – Part 3 – The Vow Cooperation with God through the vow is a very tangible way to exercise faith in your walk with him. There are many who are surrounded by impossible circumstances. They wish to see the power of God work in their lives to deliver them. God has set up a simple system that allows His suffering children to ask him a favor at the cost of doing a favor for Him. Jacob devoted his tithe based on a promise he would pay it upon his safe return to Canaan and Hannah received a child based upon her promise she would dedicate his services to YHWH upon his birth. The duty one has to the biblical vow is stated below. “If you make a vow to YHWH your God, do not be slow to pay it, for YHWH your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to YHWH your God with your own mouth.” (Deuteronomy 23:21-23) These rules must be observed and managed by the head of the household. “Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: This is what the LORD commands: When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” (Numbers 30:1-2) Furthermore, the head of house has the authority to confirm or nullify the vow of any under his headship. When a young woman still living in her fathers house makes a vow to the LORD or obligates herself by a pledge and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the LORD will release her because her father has forbidden her. If she marries after she makes a vow or after her lips utter a rash promise by which she obligates herself and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her, then her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her husband forbids her when he hears about it, he nullifies the vow that obligates her or the rash promise by which she obligates herself, and the LORD will release her. Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be binding on her. If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her husband nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges that came from her lips will stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the LORD will release her. Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself. But if her husband says nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears about them. If, however, he nullifies them some time after he hears about them, then he is responsible for her guilt. (Numbers 30:3-15) Although the words may have been carelessly or thoughtlessly spoken, they must still be accounted for in God’s plan. The passage below shows that if damage is done because of our words, compensation must be made for them. If a person thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil--in any matter one might carelessly swear about--even though he is unaware of it, in any case when he learns of it he will be guilty. When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to YHWH a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin” (Leviticus 5:4-7) In the case of Jephthah and his Daughter (See Judges 11), we are horrified that he did not take this course of action by substituting a female lamb in the place of his daughter. Jephthah, as you might remember, had vowed he would sacrifice the first thing that came across his threshold if God would give him victory over his enemies. Little did he know that it would be his own Daughter! “When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break. My father, she replied, you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request, she said. Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry. You may go, he said. In this case, both Jephthah and his daughter must have been very aware that YHWH had worked miraculously to save many lives and both felt the obligation to make good on the vow Jephthah had spoken. Final thoughts: In summary, the words we speak are important. Men on average speak 7000 words in a day while women speak 20,000. Words can divide families and nations and cause wars. We depend on the good words of others in order to live and prosper as a community. In our discourse with one another, some commit to things they never intend on doing. They may say they will be in a certain place at a certain time but never show up. Such a person often thinks that these matters are of little consequence to them and make no effort to reconcile their lost words. But this is not in God’s order of business. His aim is that His children live by their words just as He lives by His. In order to do this, He intends to make us responsible just as any upright father would. “Making” us fulfill the words and promises we make to Him and to others. What a world it would be if this were the case! Consider how many marriages would have never ended in divorce! Under the traditional wedding vow, can you show me where one can part ways with their mate due to “irreconcilable differences”? In God’s presence each promise “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part”. Once these words have escaped their lips, each is bound by the Law of God to perform their duty just as their words were spoken. But how many outside the marriage interfere; causing a husband or a wife to break their vows to each other because, in their opinion, one marriage partner has become undeserving? These actions are contrary to the words of Jesus in this matter who said: “A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh…what God has joined together, let man not separate. (Matthew 19:4-6) I previously mentioned that oaths made “in the name of” mean “after the character or nature of” the one who is mentioned. I will make this concept practical through the use of an illustration. If I had a son who promised someone that he (my son) would paint his house; the man might wonder whether or not the boy was reliable or not. My son, who really wants the job, assures the man and says “I will certainly do a good job for you sir, and if not, my Father who is the best and most successful painter in the county will guarantee it! Note that the son has just made an oath using his father’s name. The son utilized aspects of his father’s character and work to obtain the job. But what if the son did a terrible job painting the house, leaving the work incomplete? The issue reverts to the father. And when he finds out about it, he is certain to be angry for his name’s sake and send his son back to fulfill what was promised. Names are not just sounds in the Hebrew sense, on the contrary they hold great meaning. And just what does the name of YHWH mean? Together these four letters compose a word that means, “(Y) My (H) Revelation (W) Will Certainly (H) Be Revealed. Y= to possess (holding something with clenched fist) H= to reveal (man lifting hands to describe/show) W= to fasten (tent peg keeping something in place) H= to reveal (man lifting hands to describe/show) He describes His nature to the children of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy as he threatens decisive action against His Chosen people in the form of the curses. “If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not fear this glorious and awesome name—YHWH Elohiym--YHWH will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses.” (Deuteronomy 28:58-59) In short, YHWH means “I will do what I say” This name doesn’t look pretty when you look at the horrific disasters the children of Israel have suffered so far. For nearly 4000 years, Israel has been under an oath made by Abraham. “Israel is my firstborn son” says the Lord. (Exodus 4:22) Israel, (defined as the genetic lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) cannot rescind the oath made by their forefather. They have been given a task under this oath to bless all nations on earth. It must be fulfilled according to the specifications laid out by YHWH and written by Moses. In other words, Israel must extend the government of God practiced in heaven onto this earth. The children of Israel have been given the authority to do this under His Divine protection. But like a son who refuses to perform the task promised, the Father has been stirred up to wrath in order to preserve His reputation. He promises to punish His firstborn son until the specifications of the oath have been fulfilled. “You will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. You will know that I am YHWH, when I deal with you for my names sake. (Ezekiel 20:43-44)
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 07:25:09 +0000
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